About 600 mostly native trees and shrubs were staked and protected with a water holding mat and plastic tubes on the site overlooking Oamaru.
The community project is co ordinated by the Waitaki District Council in conjunction with Waitaki Forest and Bird, Nature Heritage, Oamaru Community Gardens and residents around the cape.
Council parks officer Mike Kwant wants to see a joint community organisation set up to oversee and maintain the project, which he hopes will be through the North Otago Tree Planting Association.
A landscape plan was produced as part of a reserves management strategy prepared by the council to plant 13.5ha in a mixture of native and exotic trees to redevelop the area as a recreational reserve with tourist attractions.
It was even suggested a community orchard could be planted in part of the area and a night sky observatory/education conference centre built.
About half the plants set out on Saturday were propagated by Forest and Bird at the newly established community nursery at the Oamaru Public Gardens.
